Mopping up the remaining ghouls had taken a while. We certainly hadn't gotten done with the task on that first day. We rounded up the last of them and put them back to rest for sure though. Disposing of all the bodies was another daunting task though. With the fires started by the Meteor Strike we simply didn't have enough wood to incinerate them all. And even if the forests had remained untouched we might have not been able to do it. It was bad enough to bring tears to my eyes and the faces of my men and women were grim as they dealt with the mess.

It was the third day now since we shattered the sky and smashed the earth and things were finally calming down. Our camp was secure, although we had to get our water from wells further away. Most of the roaming ghouls had been dealt with as well. We still patrolled the surroundings though to make sure we wouldn't miss any. That was a job for smaller, more agile patrols though. Thy gryphons, who could finally take to the sky again, now that it had cleared up, were a great help as well. They would spot any larger groups of the unquiet dead early enough for us to intercept them without much risk.

The cavalry and rangers could take their time securing the next leg of their journey, to the glade where the fair skinned elves first succumbed to the Devourers corrupting influence, like this as well. Another detachment scouted the shortest path to the mountain pass as well, to keep our supply line as short and secure as possible. Everyone was quite busy and yet it had been restful days by comparison. It probably was due to having achieved another important victory. I didn't begrudge them their feelings of accomplishment, yet I felt restless.

Right now I was leading one of the first patrols venturing closer to the actual impact crater, not that it had cooled and the dust had settled. I had Gash'zur with me, as well as some infantry from my banner and a small flock of harpies. In all honesty, it was mostly the harpies who where doing the actual scouting. They pretty much ran circles around us, poking at everything that was even just remotely interesting. It felt as if we were only along in case they should actually find something that needed a little attention from some heavy hitters.

I climbed a piece of rock jutting out of the ground a bit beyond the edge of the crater. The raised position would allow me to peer into the crater a little more easily. Of course I would have had better view from the very edge but we didn't quite dare approach it just yet. Every once in a while the ground would still rumble and at times parts of the carter's edge would still collapse, disappearing into the depth with a thunderous roar. It seemed as if it would be a little while yet before everything had settled back down.

I took a moment to survey first our immediate surroundings and then the crater. A small brook, that had fed some fish ponds, and in the past, before it had fallen into disrepair, quite possibly the city's moat as well, was cascading down into the crater now, slowly filling it. The rubble still visible within the crater bore no resemblance to what had once been a city. It had been too thoroughly smashed. I turned to address the giantess accompanying me. “Do you think it will eventually turn into a lake? Or will it become some kind of bog?”

She rubbed her chin and took her time thinking about it before answering my question. “A lake probably. The water will probably accelerate the collapse of the crater's edge, once it rises high enough. For a while it will probably be a muddy mess but in the end it will become a lake. Deep at the center but shallow at the shores. The land around it might turn into marshland though. It will probably end up with a pretty big reed belt.”

I nodded as I tried to imagine it. “Not the worst possible fate, considering the vile foulness that has been building up here. Let's have a short break. Break time!” After calling out to make sure everyone had heard me, I sat down on my perch and got the wine skin from my belt. After taking a sip I dug a piece of fresh flat bread from another pouch. I tore it into two, offering one half to Gash'zur before turning to face the crater and the lake slowly forming within it again. “Do you think that there will be people living here again?”

She didn't need to think about that question for long. She nodded almost right away. “Given some time. It will be a few years before everything has settled down properly but afterwards it might become a pretty nice place. It supposedly was pretty fertile land after all. Seed the lake with fish and it will be pretty much perfect.” She pointed at the spot where the water was cascading down into the depths right now. “Eventually someone might build a little fishing village over there and maybe another where the water drains from the lake again. I imagine little houses with roofing made of reed.”

I liked that idea. I let my imagination run wild for a moment. I imagined fishermen rowing their boats out onto the lake while smoke was rising from the chimneys of their homes. Children were herding pigs and ducks while others were working the fields a little further from the new lake. Finally I nodded. I really liked that idea. “Lets visit this place some time in a few years.” Then I sighed. “There is still one thing I'm worried about though. The crown of that damnable ghoul king. I don't dare hope that it might have gotten obliterated by the Meteor Strike.” I sighed again. “I hope it is buried deep enough to not foul up and corrupt the place again.”

The giantess shrugged. “I'd be more worried about someone messing up the place trying to dig up the fragments of the meteor that are sure to be buried in the mess down there.” She chuckled ruefully. “The force of the impact ought to have been enough to turn it into Star Iron. There have to be hundreds, if not thousands or tens of thousands, of wagon loads of that stuff down there.”

I quickly hushed her. “Don't talk about that anywhere where Kaele can hear you. She'll insist that we climb down there and dig up at least some of the stuff before the water rises too high!”

My objection only prompted Gash'zur to laugh louder though. The others were shooting us curious looks. It took her a little while to compose herself again. In the end she winked at me. “I wouldn't mind getting my hands on some of the stuff either. Very few people can claim to have worked with the stuff.”

I shook my head and finished the last of my bread. After washing down the last crumbs with another sip of watered down wine I got back up again. “Its not like we are in a hurry. Lets leave it to future fishermen to pull some of the stuff to the surface with their nets. You can still work some marvels with it then. Lets learn some of the dwarves' secrets of the forges first.”

She let me pull her back onto her feet as well. “Right, first we raze that headhunter glade. Then we sack Gothol'gathrak. And then we face whatever challenge rears its head next.”

I smiled ruefully and when I spoke up next I spoke quiet enough that only Gash'zur could make out my words. “I want to go home. I want to go back to sleeping in good, solid beds and eating meals that have not been made in a field kitchen. I want to go back to not worrying about whatever monster might come to challenge me next. Is that too much to ask for?”

She shook her head. “No, it is not. Hold onto that thought. It might be a little while yet but eventually we will return home. Not every day will be a struggle. Eventually we will be able to enjoy the quiet and peace we fight so hard to earn.”